Felled by a UFO
by Yankee01754
Summary: Cody's has had a little accident. What caused it is fodder for a little fun at his expense. This story is based on an incident that happened in a book I had years ago. It came to mind that I could have a little fun with the guys based on that incident.


Felled By A UFO

By Yankee 01754

Nick Ryder hurriedly parked his classic Corvette in a visitor's parking spot at the King Harbor Hospital. He ran to the Emergency Room entrance, blue eyes searching for his friends. A phone call to the Riptide his friend's boat and their home (and office) had informed him that his friend Cody Allen had had an accident.

The phone call, from adopted sister Cayce McKenna, was short and to the point. Cody was hurt, it wasn't serious, but it would be good for Nick to be there for moral support.

"Cayce?" Nick spotted the young woman near the vending machines around the corner from the nurse's station. "Where's Cody? Is he okay? What happened?"

Cayce smiled as she kissed Nick's cheek.

"Relax. He'll be fine. He just wrenched his ankle."

Nick wasn't totally convinced. He was so distracted that he failed – for once – to tug on Cayce's braid as he usually did.

"Nick!" Cayce could see the worry in his eyes. "He'll be fine."

The young woman took him by the hand and led him to the cubicle where Boz – his other partner, Murray Bozinsky – waited with their injured friend.

Cody was lying on the bed with his right ankle being wrapped in an Ace bandage.

"Cody? What happened?"

"I had a little accident," the blond said. "It's nothing."

"His ankle isn't broken," Murray reassured their partner. "It's just badly wrenched. Isn't that right Doctor Fredette?"

"That's right," the medic confirmed. "It could have been a whole lot worse."

"See? I'm going to be just fine," Cody told his friend.

Nick's blue eyes fastened on his partners' faces looking for confirmation that Cody truly was all right.

"Okay, now will someone please tell me what happened? Cayce's message said that Cody had had an accident but nothing else."

"That's all it was," Cody said.

However, it was obvious to Nick, that he was hiding something. What was the big, dark secret about how Cody's ankle got hurt?

"Cayce? Boz?"

"Well, you see, it's like this. We were visiting the Mexican Heritage Museum and decided to get some lunch," Murray started to explain.

"What does that have to do with Cody's ankle?"

"Patience, Nicholas, patience" Cayce chided the Italian. "We're coming to that."

"We decided to eat at _El Huipil_. While we were there Josefina's nephew, Mateo, came over to our table and invited us up to his apartment over the restaurant." Cayce continued the story.

"I still don't see what that has to do with Cody's accident."

"Well Mateo has several small children and those children have toys. And kids being kids, they don't always put their toys away like they should." 

"Is that what happened Code? You tripped on one of their toys? That could happen to anybody!"

"It's the toy he tripped…tripped…" Cayce started giggling helplessly with Murray joining in.

Nick looked at the two of them suspiciously. Something told him there was more to the story than he was being told.

"Okay. What gives? Why are these two in hysterics?" he demanded of the blond.

The doctor, and the nurse, ignored him. Cody glared and the other two tried – without much success – to get themselves under control. It was a lost cause. The more Cody glared at them the more Bozinsky and Cayce dissolved into giggles.

"Nothing! They're just being silly. You know how they are when they get together!"

That statement made the middle partner of the Riptide Detective Agency suspicious. Cody was definitely hiding something. Cayce and Boz only giggled together when something really struck them as funny.

"There must be more to it than that," Nick said. "They don't usually get silly over nothing."

"It's what he tripped on," Cayce was able to get out before the laughter started again.

"You're driving me nuts here!" Nick complained. "He stepped on a toy. What's so funny about that?"

"It's the type of toy he stepped on," Murray told Nick.

"Cayce! Boz! You promised!"

"Okay, okay," the young woman said. "I won't _tell_ him – outright – but he can guess."

A game of Twenty Questions was about to start.

"It has to do with something you and I have in common," Cayce told Nick.

"What – the army?"

Cayce had been orphaned at the age of ten. Consequently her favorite uncle, Brian McKenna – then a major assigned to Brigadier General Douglas "Pitbull" Johnson's elite unit – had been given custody of his brother's only child. Cayce had spent eight years traveling from post to post when Brian was transferred. It was at the age of twelve, while living at Fort Sam Houston, that she met Nick and Cody who were serving as MPs under her uncle.

"Nope, not the army," she replied. "Think harder. You and I and Frank Harding all have something in common.

Frank Harding was one of Cayce's ranch hands. He was also a dually licensed pilot meaning he could fly fixed wing or rotary aircraft just as his employer could.

"Pilots. We're all pilots. What's that got to do with this? Was Cody hurt by a pilot – or a plane?"

This wasn't making a whole lot of sense. What did pilots have to do with Cody's ankle injury?

"Not exactly," Cayce replied.

"He stepped on a plane – a toy plane and turned his ankle over."

"You're getting warm," Murray told him.

"Cayce! Murray!" the blonde was really starting to get nervous. He didn't want Nick to know what had happened. He'd never hear the end of it if he figured it out.

"He's so nervous I must be getting close," Ryder said.

"You are. Think…" Cayce struggled to come up with the right word. "Think Frisbee!"

"He stepped on a Frisbee?"

"Not quite."

"Cayce – if you tell him I'm going to turn you over my knee."

"You'll have to catch me first," she retorted, "and it'll be a while before you can."

The question and answer period would have gone on longer but the appearance of two new visitors put an end to it. However, it did not put an end to the blond's misery.

"Mateo! What brings you here?"

The new arrival was Mateo Cespedes, nephew of Cayce's housekeeper and owner of the restaurant where the three friends had had lunch.

"I tried to reach you at the Riptide but there was no answer so I called the hospital and they told me that Mr. Allen was still in the Emergency Room." The young Mexican was very upset that one of his guests had been injured at his home. "I brought Diego with me to apologize."

Diego was Mateo's five-year-old son. Small, chubby cheeked and with black hair and eyes, he was an adorable child. Right now, though, he was a thoroughly miserable child. Tear tracks showed on his face showing that he was sorry about the accident he had caused and miserable from the scolding his father had given him.

"Come here, Diego," Cayce said.

The young woman picked the despondent child up and gave him a little hug. She knew he was sorry and she didn't want him to feel bad. Cody would be just fine in a few weeks.

"Did you want to say something to Mr. Allen?"

"Lo siento," the little boy said. "I'm sorry Mr. Allen. I promise I won't ever leave my toys on the stairs again." He looked up at his father who handed him a medium sized box and nodded his encouragement. "Papa says it's okay if I give you this.

"This" was a toy flying saucer, obviously the child's favorite toy.

"I hope it makes you feel better." The little boy tried to smile but all present knew how hard it was for him to part with it. "You keep it until your ankle is all better." He handed the box to Cayce who gave it to Cody with a grin.

Cody grimaced. From the look on Nick's face the pieces were coming together.

"You mean to tell me that you got hurt because of this?" Nick started laughing as did Cayce and Boz.

"Yes, Nick," Cayce told him. "Cody was brought down by a UFO – an unidentified flying object."

With that pronouncement even the doctor, and the nurse could no longer keep straight faces and all the adults – except the injured party – started laughing.


End file.
